Sewing machine



Oct. 15, "J. GOULDBOURN E'AL v 1,731,622

SEWING MAGHINE Filed March 19, 1926 exercise this control;

Patented Oct. 15 1929 UNITED v STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH GOULDBOURN AND ARTHUR. EDWARD HEADLEY, on LEICESTER, ENGLAND, AS-

SIGNORS TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JER SEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY SEWING MACHINE Application filed March 19, 1926, Serial No. 95,885, and in Great Britain March 28, 1925.

This invention relates to straight hookedneedle sewing machines having a work-supporting and thread-looper-containing horn and especially to chain-stitch machines of this kind of which the'well known McKay type of sole-sewing machine is an outstanding example.

The invention is concerned with means for controlling the position ofthe work on the horn tip and for feeding and guiding it across the same'during the sewing and has particularly in view the provision of improved mechanism for this purpose adapted for use in such a machine as that described in the specification of British Letters Patent No. 228,489 or of British Letters Patent No. 200,180.

' The invention will be described by way of example in its application in one way to a machine as described in the specification last mentioned. In machines of the general kind in question it has been customary to employ for feeding the work, a feed point moved (while embedded in the work) from a position immediately to the left (viewing the machine from in front) of a presser foot to a position practically in the needle path this feed movement occurring while the presser foot is lifted and terminating while the needle is well clear of the work. This custom- 'ary arrangement however involves that a good deal of the control action of the feed pointon the work and all of that action of the presser foot occurs at a position, well to one side of the tip of'thehorn and therefore well to one side of the position where the needle passes through the work despite this position being the material one at which to In fact this displacement of the control locality to a considerable degree to one side of and in advance of the actual sewing point creates often considerable difliculty in sewing when the work, thus clamped at one side of the sewing point, has to be forced'down into desired position at the actual sewing point and again when work that requires the best conditions for securing tight sewing fails, because the clamping is not at the sewinglocality itself, to secure the benefit of proper clamping as an aid to tight sewing.

' The invention has for one of its principal objects to avoid these disadvantages of the customary construction Whichobject in the illustrative construction, according to the invention, now to be described with reference to the accompanying drawings is arrived at largely by departing from the customary principle of interposing the feed means between the presser foot and the needle path. Thus an important feature of the present invention involves the location of the presser foot whollyat one side of the sewing line and substantially abreast of the needle. Preferably the presser foot will have at least a substantial line contact with the work and will be positioned on that side of the line of feed furthest from the sole margin and behind the raised channel lip.

Other features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the said illustrative construction and will be pointed out in the appended claims. c

- In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of part of a sewing machine as described in aforementioned specification vNo. 200,180 showing a preferred form of presser foot arrangement according to the invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of this arrangement; and Figure 3 is a diagrammatic plan view to a larger scale to indicate further the form of the foot and the positionsof the co-operating members.

The ordinary presser foot 1 ofa machine as described in the specification last mentioned though retained in general form and position is retained only to function as a channelguide. This channel guide is shown at l-and has a square section shank 2 slidingly mounted in a guideway formed in a block-3. The shank 2 is bored to receive a compression spring 4 which at its upper end bears against" ing 6 in the block 3. The block has in it a slot 7 thruogh which passes a screw 8 which clampsthe block to a plate 9 and allows the guide to be adjusted horizontally in and along the feed path or path in which, in engagement with the work, the usual four motion feed point 24 moves between the member 1 and the needle path. The plate 9 has in it a slot 10 through which passes a screw 11 to clamp the plate to the frame of the machine and to allow the guide to be adjusted vertically. .The presser foot proper 12 is secured to a block 18 by a screw 14 passing through a slot 15 in the block so that the presser foot may be adjusted parallel to the line of feed. The block 13 is fixed to a bar 16 by a screw 17 passing through a slot 18 in the block so that the presser 12 may be adjusted towards or from the needle 19 i. e. perpendicularly of the feed path and of the needle path. Tie bar 16, is fixed to a second bar 20 which is fixed to the presser foot bar 21 by which the foot is given the usual rising and falling movement i -timed relation to the feed, The work engaging portion 22 of the foot is shaped and positioned so that it has at least substantial line contact with the work immediately be,- hind the raised channel lip 23 in the general direction of the line of feed. The foot is of such length as to be capable (with the foot suitably adjusted relatively to the block 13) of'extending as seen by the operatorand as seen in Figure 1 from a point behind the needle 19 to a point behind the foot 1. In Figure 3 in which the feed line is indicated at it will be seen that the front of the footis rounded off at each end (more so on the side remote from the member 1) and that the front and the rounded portions are somewhat inclined downwardly and outwardly. In dotted lines is shown a position in which the foot may beset to extend from behind the needle to behind the member 1 as above referred to while even in the position of the foot shown in Figure 1 (the foot being shown in corresponding position in full lines in Figure 3) it will be noted that the foot is mainly to the right of the needle path. In Figures 1 and 2 it will be seen that the under face of the foot is inclined downwardly to the rear.

With such an arrangement as described the presser foot or at least that portion of it nearest the needle can exert really effective clamping action on the work at the tip of the horn being spaced from the needle path little more than the thickness of the lip. This it does without impediment to the feed or the sewinga result it could secure were it positioned in the same position considered from right to left of the machine as seen from the front but-on the forward side of the path of the. feed point instead of behind it. The arrangement first described and which is illustrated is however preferable since it is not liable. to, lead to that undesirable bending up of the sole margin towards the upper in the x sewing that would be apt to arise were the foot to acts on the side of the path of the work feed device which is nearest the sole margin. Again the preferred arrangement indicated renders it easier to tip the work on the horn tip (see Figure 2) so that the needle shall strike into the channel in an inclined direction towards the root of the lip and the seam be thus placed as deeply in the channel and as far from the margin of the insole as possible, it being understood that in the sewin the shoe as a whole is behind the needle. f instead of line contact as referred to of the presser foot and work it is preferred that there should be a substantial area of contact to avoid likelihood of marking the tread surface of the outsole by the pressure of the foot thework-engaging portion of the presser foot insteadof merely having its under surface inclined downwardly and rearwardly as shown may be secured pivotallyon the presser foot 12 for example so as to be adjustable or to adjust itself about a real or virtual axis parallel to the said line of contact and thus be easily set or set itself to ens ure that a substantial face portion thereof behind said line shall bear upon the sole face. As the line of contact (and for that matter any face portion such as last referred to) does preferably not extend to any considerable degree, if indeed at all to the left of the needle, Viewing the machine from in front, all impediment to the swinging of the work while sewing round the toe (which might otherwise arise from con tact of the back of the lip with the foot) is avoided-a condition facilitated by the more marked rounding off of that end of the frontof'the foot which is indicated in Figure 3.

The invention having been thusidescribe d, what is claimed is: i

1.] A sewing machine having, in combina tion, a work' supporting horn, a straight hooked needle, a channel guide adapted to track in the sewing channel, a feed member to advance the work by engagement thereof on the sewing line between the needle and the channel guide, and a presser foot positioned wholly at one side of the sewing'line abreast of the needle. l

2. A sewing machine having, in combination, a work supporting horn, a straight hooked needle, a chann l guide adapted to track in the sewing channel, a feed point to, advance the work by engagement thereof on the sewing line between the needle and the channel guide and a presser foot positioned at one side of the sewing line and having at least substantial line contact with the Work from a point abreast of the needle to a point approximately abreast the feed point at the end of its retracting stroke. a

3. A sewing machine having, in combination, a work supporting horn, a straight hooked needle, a feed member to advance the work by the engagement thereof on the sew ing line, and a presser foot, positioned at one side of the sewing li'ne abreast of then'eedle and shaped to present a substantial surface contact with the work at the base outside of the raised lip of a sewing channel within which the needle is operating and having the under face of the foot inclined downwardly to the rear.

4- A sewing machine having, in combination, a straight hooked needle, a Work supporting horn, a feed member to advance the work and a presser foot positioned at one side of the sewing line abreast of the needle shaped to present a substantial surface contact with the work at the base and outside of the raised lip of a sewing channel within which the needle is operating, and'having its ends at the line of contact rounded to permit the work to be easily turned on the horn.

5. A sewing machine having, in combination, a straight hooked needle, a work sup porting horn, a feed member to advance the work by engagement thereof on the sewing line and a presser foot positioned at one side of the sewing line abreast of the needle and feed point, shaped to have at least substantial line contact with the work immediately behind the raised channel lip in the general direction of the line of feed, and having the under face of the foot inclined downwardly to the rear.

6. A sewing machine having, in combination, a straight hooked needle, a work supporting horn, a feed member to advance the work by engagement thereof on the sewing line, a channel guide, and a presser foot positioned at one side of the sewing line shaped to have at least substantial line contact with the work immediately behind the raised channel lip in the general direction of the line of feed from a point abreast of the needle to a point approximately opposite the channel guide.

7. A sewing machine having, in'combination, a straight hooked needle, a Work supporting horn, a channel guide adapted to track in the sewing channel and'urged yieldtween the channel guide and needle, and a presser foot positioned on that side of the line of feed furthest from the sole margin at the sewing region, shaped to engage the work immediately behind the raised channel lip abreast of the needle and having the under ingly towards the horn to maintain a constant contact with the work during the operation,-a feed point for advancing the work by engagement thereof on thesewingline between the channel guide and needle, and a presser foot positioned at one side of the sewing line shaped to have at least substantial line contact with the work immediatey.

behind the raised channel lip in the general direction of the line of feed and abreast of the needle and feed point throughout the length of its stroke. 8. A sewing machine having, in combination, a straight hooked needle, a work supporting horn, a channel guide adapted to track in thesewing channel and urged yieldingly towards the horn tomaintain a constant contact with the work during the operation, a feed member for advancing the work by engagement thereof on the sewing line be- 

